Rachel smiles in front of a light blue background with curly hair and glasses

Rachel Brazil

Journalist

Rachel Brazil is a science writer based in London, UK

Taking advantage of the radiopharmaceutical revolution

A new generation of radiopharmaceuticals could lead to improved cancer diagnosis and treatment, but experts are questioning whether the UK has the resources to ride the radiopharmaceutical wave.…

Designed by AI: the future of antibody drugs

Artificial intelligence is enabling the next generation of antibody drugs — and helping to ‘drug the undruggable’. Meet the start-ups that are designing these treatments from scratch.…

Engineering precision: developing the next generation of antibody drug conjugates

Researchers are working to create a new generation of these targeted cancer therapies to improve efficacy and minimise off-target adverse effects.…

Microsampling: a patient-centred approach to therapeutic drug monitoring

While adopting microsampling techniques could mean faster, less stressful blood tests for vulnerable patients, introducing this method into existing NHS infrastructure has proved both costly and challenging.…

How AI is transforming drug discovery

Pharmaceutical companies and start-ups are harnessing AI to improve speed and reduce costs at every stage of the drug discovery and development process.…

Targeting better safety: next steps for CRISPR therapeutics

Genome editing technique CRISPR was only devised in 2012, but already we have seen the first CRISPR-based medicine for sickle cell disease come to market. Researchers are now refining the technology to improve its safety and efficacy.…

Beyond RCTs: the real-world evidence revolution

Enthusiasm is growing for the use of real-world evidence as a basis for regulatory and clinical decisions. However, not everyone believes this type of data is suitable, with some experts calling for the conduct of randomised controlled trials to be made easier instead.…

Next-generation antivirals: targeting COVID-19

Many of the antivirals trumpeted as turning points in the COVID-19 pandemic have not proved as effective as first expected, but researchers are hoping that a second generation of antivirals will provide better protection — with fewer side effects.…

New approaches to male contraception

Attitudes to male contraception are starting to shift, opening up a potential market in which researchers are hopeful the pharmaceutical industry will want to invest.…

Silencing the genes that harm the brain

There have been variable results so far, but researchers are hopeful that new drugs can be developed to halt disease progression in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s.…